fneditorial: THANKFUL

In the past week, President Obama gave a speech announcing a plan for America to take military action against ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which is the militant group that’s rapidly spreading throughout the Middle East. This was a speech that Obama seemingly never wanted to give. It was also a speech very similar to one former President George W. Bush gave a decade prior.

The fact is that America is privileged to have a special role in the world. Obviously, there are some flaws in the system – it was designed by humans after all – but we’re the ones the world looks to when problems can’t be solved. It’s true.

All over the world people look at us, our elections, our businesses and our lives with hope. America still is the land of opportunity. We have a gross domestic product that’s twice the next closest country and we have social structures in place that allow for those who are downtrodden in society to get back on their feet.

Too often people get caught up in the political games of Democrats versus Republicans, but the reality is all of your representatives are on the same team. They are leaders in the United States of America – people elected to better serve other people. That means something.

The whole point of any government is to give the citizens of that nation a structure to thrive in. At least it should be. No where in the world is opportunity available on the mass scale like it is here in America. It doesn’t matter who the president is, America presses on, America keeps inventing and America keeps fighting for those who don’t have anybody to fight for them. It’s our way of life. It’s incredible to think that there are still places in the world where citizens aren’t able to speak freely, where citizens have to lie about their religion just to stay alive. America may have its problems, but at least we have a public forum to talk about those problems. The average American can make a difference.

So, today, be thankful for the troops that guard our borders, be thankful that you have the opportunity to attend a college like the University of Dayton and be thankful that you live in the United States of America.